WHEREAS,
mayors recognize that mercury pollution, the majority of it coming from
coal-fired power plants, represents a particularly widespread threat to
families nationwide; and

WHEREAS, in
1990, 3 industry sectors made up 2/3 of the total mercury emissions in the
nation including Medical Waste Incinerators, Municipal Waste Combustors
(Waste-to-Energy); and Power Plants; and

WHEREAS, The
first two sectors have already had to comply with mercury and air toxics rules
and have reduced their mercury emission by 95%; and

WHEREAS, the
technology to retrofit these facilities already exists and is being utilized in
the other two industries; and

WHEREAS,
because of local mercury contamination, all 50 states have fish consumption
advisories in place to warn residents of the potential health effects of eating
fish caught from area waters; and

WHEREAS,
mercury poses a particular threat to vulnerable populations such as pregnant
women and small children; and

WHEREAS,
mercury is a potent neurotoxin that affects a developing child’s ability to
talk, walk, read and write, and in addition to learning disabilities, in utero
exposure can result in severe birth defects such as blindness, deafness and
cerebral palsy; and

WHEREAS,
EPA's analysis projects that the annual cost to the regulated industry for the
year 2016 (the first year in which EPA expects the standards to be fully
implemented), would be $9.6 billion and the aggregate benefits for that year
would be between $37-$90 billion; and

WHEREAS, for
every dollar spent to reduce this pollution, Americans get 3-9 dollars in
health benefits; and

WHEREAS, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects that the new Clean Air Act
protections from reduced mercury and air toxics will save citizens as much as
$90 billion annually when fully implemented through lower health care costs.
Each year, this translates into as many as 11,000 lives saved, 4,700 heart
attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks prevented, and 5,700 hospital visits
avoided; and

WHEREAS, The
benefits are widely distributed and are especially important to minority and
low income populations who are disproportionately impacted by asthma and other
debilitating health conditions; and

WHEREAS,
clean, healthy air and water are fundamental American rights,

NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors
strongly supports the EPA’s issued Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power
Plants (MATS).